The Orange Ribbon Around My Wrist
by MrsJoey Wheeler
Summary: A happy life is suddenly derailed when a young woman is diagnosed with devastating disease. He will have to find a way to support his family and ask for help when the love of his life ends up in the hospital. She knows that she is strong, but she does not know if she is strong enough to keep up a battle with her own body. Will they find peace? Rated for possible lemons, GreLiech
1. Prologue- World Meeting 1990

Author's Note: Fair warning, this story will be sad and as close a possible to a real life experience with cancer as I can get it to be. If you think it might trigger bad memories, please do not read. I am researching about the cancer and everything as I go to try to be as accurate as possible. Please let me know if it does not match up or make sense (if you know about the cancer I will use for this). Otherwise, please enjoy my first story that I have posted in over a year. I apologize if you follow my other stories, because I just do not have drive for them anymore. Hopefully this story will set me on track and I can try to upload new chapters to other stories before next semester starts in a month. I will not get to write at all then. To everyone reading, thank you! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or the characters involved and used for this story. I do own the additional characters created for character plot that will be named as time goes on.

THE ORANGE RIBBON AROUND MY WRIST

It started in the summer of 1990…the first time he saw her. The brunette had sat in his chair at the world meeting many times before and had slept through most of them. This meeting happened to be her first, and he just happened to be awake.

He watched as the taller, male German nation escorted her in and introduced her. The Greek did not pay much attention to anything besides noticing how close the Swiss man was standing to the young woman and how she trembled being up there. She caught his eye and he couldn't look away. She was beautiful. Her long blonde hair looked like it was made from sunlight and her skin was flawless. She wore a burgundy dress that showed off the little bit of curves that she had. He was mesmerized.

She spoke her hello and he thought his heart would stop. Her sweet little voice….it took him by surprise. He didn't know anything could sound so innocent and pure. He watched as Switzerland and the young nation took their seats and the meeting began.

There was no focusing on the meeting, no figuring out what part he would take in it either. And for the first time ever, he couldn't fall asleep. His eyes were too open, his brain too busy to doze.

He stared intently over at her, being mindful to not be caught by the older German nations that were around her. She was so beautiful with her soft, green eyes, porcelain skin, and sun soaked hair. The man drank her in from a distance and jumped when he realized the meeting had been adjourned until tomorrow. Hours had passed without him noticing one bit.

Still in his chair, his brother Cyprus moved over a couple of chairs to sit with him. "You're awfully wide awake today. Did you drink some super coffee, or something?" he questioned worriedly.

The Greek shook his head, his eyes never leaving the shiny, blonde locks that slowly made their way from the meeting room. "Hey. Who is the new girl again? I wasn't really listening earlier," he admitted with a monotone voice and expression.

Cyprus rolled his eyes. "That's Liechtenstein, Switzerland's adopted little sister. She just joined the United Nations a few months ago and started attending world meetings with Switzerland's approval."

He watches her turn around and look back into the room before being turned around and led out of his sight. "Liechtenstein…" he whispers inaudibly.

Greece did not know that his was his first glimpse at the woman who would change his life.


	2. Hello

Author's Note: I'm actually updating! I'm so proud of myself. I could cry. ;;A;; I haven't accomplished a story with chapters to completion EVER...and I have yet to update other stories after like 3+ year hiatuses...I really suck at this, but I'm trying with this one because I'm planning on shorter chapters, more time skips, etc. I need to stop trying to fit a million details in...that's what updated versions are for.

Oh, and heads up. I know I have terrible issues with the tense the story is in, but I've been role playing for so long that this bad habit has just gotten worse. I will try to update with a single tense at some point. ;=.=

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Hetalia. I do own this plot.

Chapter 1: Hello

It was morning and time for the next part of their week long world meeting. The Greek got out of bed and groaned at the alarm his brother had set and put at the other side of the room. He got up and turned it off and looked over toward the bathroom, where he heard the shower going.

Heracles sighed. Nikolas would wake him up, but then block him from doing things that would help him get ready and stay awake. The brunette went back to his side of the hotel room and found some clean clothes to wear, which included a blue t-shirt and his standard tan pants. The Greek reluctantly pulled on his socks and shoes as he heard the shower turn off and the fan turn on. Looking up, he caught his brother coming out of the bathroom in just a towel around his waist.

"Hey, you're up," he smiled as he dried his hair with another towel. "Breakfast is going on for another hour, so if we hurry we can still eat before they force us to sit through more mindless babbling."  
He nodded and went into the bathroom to do his business and brush his hair. He looked into the mirror and noticed what he was feeling was right.

He barely slept last night.

The Greek gawked at the dark circles forming under his eyes that he had never had before. They were light, but noticeable. He blinked a few times as he looked at them in disbelief. He wondered how in the world this could happen, but then it hit him.

HER.

That sweet little voice and golden hair had HAUNTED him last night. He had been so mesmerized by her that she kept him from sleeping; the one thing that everyone knew he did a lot of. He shook his head to try to get her out of his head and focused on brushing his teeth and hair before joining his brother for the walk down to the breakfast room.

"Heracles? Are you okay? You seem…tired," he questioned.  
The Greek shrugged and rolled his eyes. "You really just said I looked tired? You really sound dumb for that."  
"HEY! I can be worried about you!" he insisted. The younger nation pouted. "You could at least be nicer. Keep being a grouch and everyone will know that you haven't slept," he grumbled.  
_'Not like I care,'_ thought the Greek as they stepped into the room for breakfast.

There were quite a few humans in the room, but the room mostly consisted of the nations that were around for their world conference. The Greek looked around a little bit and froze in his spot, eye wide open.

HER.

She was sitting right there, across the room at the window with Switzerland and Germany, eating a bagel and some grapes. He couldn't believe it. He hadn't been dreaming about her existence. His brain really tried to tell him otherwise last night. He stared at her for a bit before he felt himself being shook.

"Uhm, earth to Heracles? Are you lost in your own head again or something?" his brother asked, obviously sounding a bit annoyed. "Breakfast first, sleeping with your eyes open, second. Got it?" He grabbed his arm and dragged him over to the buffet.

He didn't pay much attention to what he was putting on his plate, but he made sure to get enough food that he wouldn't end up being hungry during the meeting later. The Greek nation made sure that the two of them sat where he could see the German siblings, but not to be found out by the two men sitting with the little blonde.  
"Jeez Heracles, what is up with you?" Cyprus whispered as he picked up a piece of toast. "You've become a zombie overnight." The spaced out Greek didn't answer or even look. Cyprus sighed and looked around before freezing up and patting the Greek's arm. "Hey heeeey," he whispered. "Snap out of it! Heracles, look-"  
"What's up, lame Greek dwellers!"  
The Greek cringed and then grinded his teeth together when he felt himself being pulled into a headlock and given a noogie.  
"Let go of me Turkey," he grumbled as he did his best to keep from fighting back.  
Cyprus put up his hands and waved his hands at them. "C'mon Sadik, let him go. This isn't the place for this." He was worried they would fight and cause a scene. That's just what he wanted to hear at the world meeting again….how to act civil when they all are forced to stay in the same location.  
"Fine," he releases Greece and chuckles. "Had to mess with cat boy over here at some point." He gets up and leans over, putting his face close to Cyprus's. "So Nikolas. Ready to come live with me instead? Living with this snoring loser has to be more boring than watching a fishless pond."  
Heracles rubbed his head and glared at the Turkish man. _'Not this again. Stop being an ass and trying to get him to go with you._

"I told you Sadik, I'm staying with Heracles. Ismet made his choice, and I made mine," he said sternly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Drop the subject, would ya?"  
The Turkish man groans and sighs dramatically. "Alright. Whatever. Let me know when you get tired of tuna breath," he snickered as he walked away.  
Both of the countries left groaned and Heracles put his head on the table. "Does he HAVE to bother us at EVERY chance he gets?" he mumbles as he stays like that for a bit.

The Cypriot sighed with him. "I guess so. He's been too pushy lately." He started working on eating his breakfast as Heracles kept his head down a little longer. When he rose his head up, he took a bite of a sausage link and looked around the room.

A lot of the humans were gone and countries filled most of the dining space. Closest to their table were the Baltics, with the Nortics on the other side of them. Heracles watched Russia come over and tease the Baltic nations for a little bit. The larger nation then left the room, a late rising Poland coming in after he left and sitting next to Lithuania. The Greek could hear the brunette nation whine as Poland took some of the food from his plate. He took another bite of food and looked back onto the other side of the room, where the old allied powers sat in a group with Japan. Italy, Romano, and Spain sat with Prussia right next to them, so France could turn around and chat with them. His eyes wandered back across to the table with the German siblings.

Liechtenstein smiled at something that Germany said and the Greek thought he was going to melt right there. Why was she so beautiful? Why was he so drawn to her? He watched as she cut a piece of the German wurst on her plate and put it in her mouth. He swallowed when she did and Nikolas stared at him, wondering what was wrong with him. He looked back and didn't notice anything; sighing, he went on eating his breakfast.

She took another bite and looked around the room, their eyes meeting. His heart stopped for a moment before beating hard in his chest. She didn't look away, instead she stared right back into his eyes. Their eyes stayed locked like that until Switzerland said something and snapped her out of it. The Greek quickly went back to eating his breakfast and looking down, not wanting to start a fight with the German nations over their new little sister.

Cyprus's eyebrow went up at his brother's sudden desperation for food; but again, he brushed it off. They finished breakfast with no more weirdness and went on their way to the car that would take them to the United Nation's building.

After getting settled into the backseat, Nikolas looks over at his brother again. "Okay Heracles. There is seriously something up with you today. I have never seen circles under your eyes unless you are depressed, but you keep acting like your daydreaming in la la land. What is going on?" the younger nation asked.

Greece scratched his head and turned to look out the window. He didn't want to tell Nikolas, but the younger brunette was going to pester him until he did. Above all, he didn't want to be bothered every moment that he wasn't sleeping or at the meeting. He let out a held breath.

"There's….this girl," he started.

Nikolas looked over at his brother like he was crazy, and the older saw the reflection and turned to face him. "A…GIRL?" he asked his older brother in a confused tone. "Are you serious? You've never been like this because of a girl. Not since I've been with you."  
He shrugged and looked back out the window. "Well I am now," he responded blankly as he watched everything pass by. After a little bit, he spoke again. "I don't know what it is about her, but she…drives me crazy. She's taking over my life."  
The Cypriot was confused at that comment since he didn't understand what he meant by it. When he went to ask, the car stopped and the doors were opened for them. Greece quickly got out and noticed a cat outside the doors. Unable to ignore the furry creature, he walked over to it and offered his hand.  
Getting out of the car, the younger nation sighed. _'Same big brother. Can't say no to visiting with a cat.'_ "I'm going inside Heracles," he said as he walked towards the building. "We'll talk later."

He didn't move or respond as the cat sniffed his hand and then rubbed her face against it with a purr. He watched the cat for a bit and then moved to stroke her gently. "There we are. Nice cat. You are a sweet thing. Are you all alone in the world? I'm sorry if you are." He stayed there for a bit before hearing the announcement that the meeting would start in 10 minutes. He stood up and looked down at the cat that nuzzled his ankle. "I'm sorry. I have to go. Stay here. I will bring you something if you come back."

The Greek goes inside, hands in his pockets. He wanted to wait for her to come in so he could see her up close, but he had gotten distracted. He mentally scolded himself as he made his way to the meeting room, eyes looking around and down at the floor as he tried to think of a new plan.

Suddenly, he collided with someone who didn't even come up to his shoulders in height. He gasped and carefully grabbed their shoulders so they wouldn't fall over.  
"I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention," he stated monotonously.

His breath caught in his throat when the younger nation looked up at him. Her green eyes looked like bright summer grass in an untouched meadow and her skin looked like it was made of porcelain. They looked into each other's eyes for what seemed like eternity before she squeaked and blushed bright red.

HER. It was HER.  
"N-No. I'm sorry! I was in a hurry and didn't watch where I was going," she rapidly replied. He let go of her as she backed up and bowed. "I am very sorry."  
He blushed. No one bowed to him anymore. Not since these modern times had begun. He composed himself and waved his hands in front of him. "It's alright. It's both our fault," he said, his voice showing a bit of emotion, as did his usually neutral face.

She looked up and his heart pounded in his chest again as she stood up and nodded a bit. She then held her hands together in front of her and looked up at him shyly. "M-My name is Liechtenstein," she spoke quietly as her eyes looked away from his to keep from blushing more.

Heracles swallowed nervously and then offered a hand out to her. "I am Greece," he said with a nervous tone in his voice. "It's nice to meet you."

Liechtenstein looked at his hand for a bit, before her little, slightly trembling hand took his and he gently shook it. They both blushed more looking at their joined hands.  
"Hallo," she said with a sweet smile as she looked up at him. She still looked nervous, but she was trying to be polite. "It's nice to meet you too."

He blushed more and his lips tugged up a bit seeing her smile. "Geia sas."


End file.
